November 2024 - More Cake in November, Please

Historically, November has been a pie month, for which we are VERY grateful. It’s just that our friend, cake, unless it is a pumpkin cheesecake or fruitcake, rarely gets a spot on the Thanksgiving dessert table. Pies of pumpkin, apple, sweet potato, pecan, and mincemeat feature heavily in American feasting in autumn. I am simply suggesting adding some cake to our festivities, at Thanksgiving and all month long. When the weather finally turns chilly, baking is part of the cozy feeling we create in our homes to lighten up this darker portion of the year and make the house smell amazing.
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To our bakers out there, let’s be sure to celebrate National Bundt Day on Friday, November 15th. Surprise the family or cheer up the coworkers with a TGIF bundt cake flavored with rum or use in-season apples for sharable autumn crowd-pleasers, both recipes found at myteaplanner.com: Almost Classic Rum Cake & Cinnamon Apple Crown Cake. Pumpkin is always welcome this time of year, especially Rose’s Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, pictured below. I am a big fan of pumpkin in baked goods, as it lends moisture as well as that rich color and flavor. Cooked sweet potatoes, especially garnet yams, and butternut squash puree, can both be substituted for pumpkin in baked goods with great results.
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I asked a few friends about their Thanksgiving menus and traditions. While no cake was reported on anyone’s dessert menu except my own Murdock side of the family, I did find that while Suzi’s and Lizette’s families served the usual pies for dessert, they added to the main turkey and stuffing dishes traditional Italian and Mexican dishes, respectively. Along with the Russo turkey and fixings, a spaghetti, meatball, and fried zucchini component is prepared. Being Italian American myself, that seems sort of normal, if somewhat excessive, but it is a feast, after all. Lizette’s family has a traditional turkey dinner also, but her mother addedchorizo refried beans and spaghetti in green chile cream sauce, both which sound so incredibly delicious that I am adding them to my autumn and winter dinner repertoire right now. (I love green chile and/or tomatillo sauce in everything.)
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Suzi has baked from Bobbie Lloyd’s Magnolia Bakery handbook for years, preferring her Hummingbird Cake and Carrot Cake recipes over any other source. Thinking about cakes suitable for November, she leafed through the cookbook and came across Thanksgiving Cake with Caramel Sauce. Containing dates, nuts, apples, and cranberries, it is akin to a sticky toffee (steamed) pudding, traditionally made with dates and rich caramel sauce.

This cake ticked many boxes: easy to make, one layer, attractively rustic and incredibly tasty. It is like a great apple cake, livened up with the tartness of fresh cranberries and bathed in a satiny caramel sauce. All tasters agreed that this cake was delicious, with Suzi’s sister requesting it for their Thanksgiving celebration this year. I am feeling a little bit hopeful that we can get some cake on the Thanksgiving dessert buffet. 

I once read a novel in which the baker/narrator, when feeling anxious, would imagine herself safely inside a bundt cake. Several recipes for bundts were appended at the back of the book. While interesting to think about, the practical side of me thought, it is just too sticky in there, with all that glaze. You know, logic, ahem. I do love thinking about baking (and eating) cakes. Since I learned to bake, I always thought, what is the next technique to learn, where is the next recipe, how can it be made better, would another combination of flavors be tastier? Just as there are always times for tried-and-true recipes, there is always room for something new and different. Variations on a theme are endless fun.
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Another cake-baking November opportunity is the upcoming San Francisco event called Cake Picnic. I first heard of Cake Picnic right after the event first happened at Potrero del Sol, in San Francisco, last April 27th. Of course, I was so disappointed that I had missed it but luckily, it was such a hit that the organizers, Elisa Sunga and Alexandra Piper, immediately scheduled more Cake Picnics for Los Angeles and New York and back in San Francisco this November 9th. The event is part of the California Legion of Honor Museum’s 100 birthday celebration, so it will be held on the lawn in front of the Beaux Arts style building.

According to SF Eater website, “Cake Picnic is a gathering for the love of cake and brings communities and friends together. To be surrounded by as many cakes as there are humans is definitely something special, right? It is a moment in time where we can all come together for something truly sweet.” Read the whole article here: Cake Picnic article, SF Eater

This go round, I did not delay and got tickets for Suzi and me several months ago. The first rule of Cake Picnic, as I read in my confirmation email, is that every attendee must bring one whole cake, either purchased or homemade. We are now in the delightful thinking phase of mulling over which cakes we will bake for Cake Picnic. For a cake nerd like me, this is as close to nirvana as it gets.

I first envisioned a pastel rainbow cake, with pistachio, raspberry, lemon layers but Suzi remined me that it will be autumn when we are baking for Cake Picnic so my cake should be more fall-ish flavors and hues. She is always right, that Suzi. I re-set my mind with autumn fruits and flavors, maybe some combination of cranberries, nuts, ginger, quince, apples, pomegranates, persimmons, and/or pears. 
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Keeping with that idea, I came up with an elaborate rectangular cake of three separate flavors of cake (cranberry, apple, honey spice,) two nut pastes (almond and pecan,) two different fillings (cranberry curd and apple butter) with decorative mace-flecked butter cream, and apricot-glazed poached quince slices on the top. It sure looked beautiful but made me tired just contemplating all the work in making it and transporting it to the Cake Picnic. See artist’s rendition of the cake, below:

​What I was most interested in testing, other than a fine-grained (not overly moist) cranberry cake and the decorative look of pecan halves, was a nut “paste” like the European patisserie staple almond paste but made with walnuts or pecans. I got the idea of a non-almond nut paste by thinking about a non-pastel version of the Swedish Princess Cake. Traditionally covered in soft green pistachio paste or green-tinted marzipan, it is an elegant, visually arresting domed cake. I wondered how the cake would look covered in a more rustic, flecked reddish brown coating of ground pecans.

​Left, Princess Cake from Gayle’s Bakery, Capitola, California. The marzipan covered cake comes in a variety of sizes and green, pink, or lavender hued marzipan. The cake is topped with mounds of whipped cream, creating the distinctive profile of the Princess Cake. Highly recommended. 

Though Princess Cake is delicious with its almond, cream, and raspberry flavor profile, it is too springy for an autumn gathering. I went to work on the pecan paste.

I found this Walnut Paste Recipe online and swapped out the walnuts for toasted and cooled pecans. Do not skip the toasting, it makes a dramatic difference in the flavor of the paste. It is one of those websites with annoying pop-up ads which I generally do not recommend but I like how the creators allow users to change from metric to cups and the site has a tool to adjust the recipe’s quantity to make different sized batches. I set my measurements and quantity then printed out the recipe, to avoid all the ads.
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The method was straightforward; pecans and powdered sugar go in the food processor, processed to crumbs, then egg white is added a tablespoon at a time, processed until a smooth paste is formed and begins gathering into a ball. I wrapped the ball, which looked like a slightly oily dough, in plastic wrap and chilled for about an hour, on the theory that chilling would make it easier to roll out later. The pecan paste keeps in the fridge for several weeks, if tightly wrapped.
My next (simplified) cake idea was a rectangular cake of three layers of cranberry cake with a filling and topping of cranberry-apple-cherry and the rolled-out pecan paste between the layers. Handily enough, I had some vanilla buttercream frosting leftover from a recent cake. I based my cake on an ancient C&H Sugar cookbook carrot cake recipe, trading out the carrots for roughly chopped fresh cranberries and minimal spicing of ¼ teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg.
A quick diagram of the cranberry pecan cake, below:

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I baked the cake in a 10 by 15 by 1 inch jellyroll pan, covered the cooled cake in rolled out pecan paste, then chilled it for about an hour, making it easier to divide the cake into three equal 5 by 10 inch layers. My leftover frosting was already in a zip top bag with the corner cut off, so, I piped my leftover frosting around the perimeter of the cakes to act as a “dam” to contain the filling. I put a layer of filling on each cake then stacked them, making one 3-layer cake. I popped it back in the fridge for twenty minutes to firm up then took a long, serrated bread knife and evened up the sides. To decorate, I piped blobs of frosting around the edge of the cake and pressed toasted pecan halves all around, below:

Cranberry Pecan Cake collage, clockwise from bottom left, above: ball of freshly made pecan paste, my first version of cranberry-apple-cherry filling and topping in which I chopped the cranberries and cherries after cooking, close-up of the baked jellyroll shaped cranberry cake, the finished cake, and a close-up of the uncooked cake batter.

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​Fresh Cranberry Cake

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​This cake recipe was a keeper from the first test. The cranberries add a fresh and slightly tart accent to this just moist enough, lightly spiced cake. Starting life as an old carrot cake recipe, I traded carrots for chopped cranberries and cut down not just the spices, but the baking soda, keeping the jellyroll shape from getting too much of a dome. To bake it in round layer cake pans or a 9 x 13 pan, just use the higher amount of baking soda, specified in the recipe. Serve the cake as shown above, with the red fruit filling and topping and/or the pecan paste, and the buttercream frosting or serve with just a sprinkle of powdered sugar or deep drifts of your favorite cream cheese frosting. There is no wrong way to make this delicious cake.
 
Special equipment: 2 8 0r 9 inch round pans 0r 10 x 15 x 1 inch jellyroll pan or 9 x 13 inch baking pan lined with parchment and sprayed with baking spray, cutting board and chopping knife or food processor, hand or stand mixer, mixing bowl, sieve or sifter, parchment or waxed paper, silicone spatula, cooling rack, thin knife

Serves 12 to 20 (If serving the rectangular cake shown above, cut lengthwise in two, then cut crosswise into pieces measuring about 2 1/2 inches by 1 inch, as it is a tall, very rich cake)

Preheat oven to 350°F

• 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, roughly chopped or briefly pulsed in food processor
• 1 ½ cups flour
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon baking soda, use ¼ teaspoon for jellyroll pan or ½ teaspoon for other sized pans
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, mace, or cardamom
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
  
  

1. Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and spices together over a sheet of parchment. Set aside.
2. In mixing bowl, beat sugar, canola oil, eggs, and yolk, scraping down bowl as needed. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. 
3. On low speed, add dry ingredients in 3 batches, scraping bowl between additions. Stir in cranberries.
4. Scrape batter into prepared pan or pans. Bake in preheated oven until cake pulls away from sides of pans and cake tester comes out with a few moist crumbs when tested in center of cake, 25 to 45 minutes, depending on which baking pan is used. Jellyroll and round pans will take from 25 to 30 minutes and 9 x 13 pan from 35 to 45 minutes.

1. Cool cakes in any sized pan on cooling rack for 10 minutes. Loosen around edges of pans with thin knife. Turn out cakes on rack to cool completely. 

 

Cranberry-Apple-Cherry Filling and Topping

It turns out that cranberries and cherries play really well together. This combination came about by kismet. I started with one peeled, cored, and chopped apple and with a cup of chopped cranberries, then thought I would like a little more sweetness and a little something extra. I spied a can of cherry pie filling and ta da, yum. However, I did not want whole cherries in my filling, so to a 2-cup glass, Pyrex measure, I added one cup of pie filling and snipped the cherries with clean kitchen shears.
 
Special equipment: 2-cup glass Pyrex measuring cup, clean kitchen shears, heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, silicone spatula, medium sized lidded storage container
Makes: about 1 3/4 cups

• 1 medium or ½ of a large apple, cored, peeled, and chopped
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup cherry pie filling, cherries snipped into smaller pieces
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons port, dry red wine, apple juice, or water
• 1 cinnamon stick, optional
• Small slice of fresh ginger or 1-2 tablespoons chopped candied ginger, optional

1. To heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, add all ingredients and optional cinnamon stick and ginger, if using. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Turn heat down to a slow simmer and continue to stir for 20 to 25 minutes, until fruit is softened, and liquid is syrupy and concentrated, adding additional liquid if mixture seems too dry.

1. Scrape into storage container and let cool. Remove optional cinnamon stick and ginger slice, if previously added. Cover and chill until ready to use. Keeps well, tightly covered in the fridge, for one week.

 
Variation: Use Rose's November 2019 blog recipe for Cranberry Curd. This beautiful and versatile spread is so delicious and would make an excellent smooth filling and topping.
 
Variation: if you are opposed to canned cherry pie filling*, you may substitute ½ cup dried cherries which have been plumped in ½ cup hot water for about 15 minutes. Continue with the rest of the recipe, adding additional liquid by the tablespoon, if mixture seems too dry.

*I used to be opposed to canned cherry pie filling but have now seen the beauty in this convenient cupboard staple. At the bed and breakfast, I used to source these special Czech bottled cherries to make a sauce for my stuffed French toast. I ran out of them and had to substitute the canned cherry pie filling, thinned down with a little cherry brandy. Guess what? There was no difference in taste and the two sauces look exactly alike. Lesson learned. I like Comstock brand, possibly because it has a pretty label.
 
Theoretical variation: you may be able to simulate this filling by mixing half a can of whole berry cranberry sauce with half a can of cherry pie filling, snipped as described above. Then cooked in the microwave for a bit. It might work, let me know if you try it.
 
To assemble the rectangular cake shown above, have on hand these components: 
About 10 ounces (300 grams) prepared pecan paste Walnut Paste recipe (substitute in pecans) or purchased almond paste, rolled out to 10 x 15 inches
About 1 or 1 ½ cups vanilla buttercream frosting, in pastry bag with round tip or zip top bag, with small cut out corner

• 1 ½ cups cranberry-apple-cherry filling, chilled
• 1 chilled 10 x 15 x 1 (jellyroll size) cranberry cake
• About 40 toasted and cooled best-looking pecan halves

1. Cover the chilled cake in rolled-out pecan paste. With a long, serrated bread knife, cut the cake into three equal 5 by 10 inch layers. 
2. Pipe frosting around the perimeter of all 3 cakes, to act as a “dam” to contain the filling. 
3. Spread filling on each cake, staying inside the “dam.”
4. Stack them on top of each other, making one 3-layer cake. Pop back in the fridge for twenty minutes to firm up
5. With long, serrated bread knife, even up the sides of the cake. 

1. To decorate, pipe small blobs of frosting around the edge of the cake. Press toasted pecan halves all around. Cake keeps well-wrapped and chilled for a week.

I baked this sweet little six-inch silver white layer cake, with vanilla buttercream and apricot jam filling, to please the residents of Dancing Starfish Ranch and to celebrate our love and gratitude for the everyday.